Christ thorn
- noun
- /kraɪst θɔrn/
:
espina de Cristo
- She carefully watered the Christ thorn on her windowsill, avoiding its sharp spines.
Examples
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The Christ thorn is popular as an ornamental plant due to its colorful bracts.
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Gardeners often propagate Christ thorn from cuttings for indoor decoration.
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The Christ thorn plant is known for its striking appearance.
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I bought a Christ thorn for my living room.
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She carefully watered the Christ thorn on her windowsill, avoiding its sharp spines.
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The Christ thorn is popular as an ornamental plant due to its colorful bracts.
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Gardeners often propagate Christ thorn from cuttings for indoor decoration.
Synonyms
A spiny bush from Madagascar with woody stems and bright red flowers used as a decorative plant
A spiny plant with long stems and bright red flowers
A spiny shrub from Madagascar with long stems and red flower-like parts often grown in gardens
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally clear: 'Christ' (a proper name) + 'thorn' (a sharp plant projection) signals a thorny plant associated with Christ. Even though it is a specific botanical name, a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a thorny shrub or plant, so the meaning is directly derivable.
Etymology
Christ thorn gets its name from a clear picture: its long, sharp spines look like the 'crown of thorns' put on Jesus, so people began calling the spiny shrub Christ thorn or 'crown-of-thorns'. That's why the name refers to a thorny, spiky plant today.
